Tennis Anyone?
by suburbs
Summary: Macy just wanted to hit some tennis balls to distract herself from the fact that her friends had left her alone all summer. And then she sort of wanted to hit Van Dyke instead.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own JONAS._

_A/N: Happy Birthday Beth! I asked Poet on the Run what story she wanted as a birthday present, and she said a Macy/Van Dyke friendship story. So here it is. I apologize for the quality – stupid real life. But I hope you enjoy it anyway! I am so happy I've gotten to know you through PHM!_

They were gone.

The boys had left on their world tour, Stella was off at her amazing internship, and Macy was at home with a long, lonely summer stretching in front of her. She had known that it would be tough when they left, but she hadn't expected to feel quite this depressed. Sighing, she realized she could sit in her room moping all summer, or she could get up and do something productive.

Sitting and moping was very tempting, but it was also weak and pathetic. And Macy didn't want to be either of those things, so she sighed once more for good measure, got up and got dressed.

But then she realized she had no idea what to do with herself.

She didn't have an amazing internship or a world tour this summer – all she had was a part-time job at her mom's store. And it wasn't even her day to work. She could watch television or update her JONAS site, but she was pretty sure no one wanted to hear her whine about not being on tour with the boys, which is pretty much all she could think of to say about them right then.

There were always sports. Summer was great for sports – swimming, boating, biking, tennis…

Grimacing, she remembered the lecture she had received from her tennis coach on the last day of school; something about needing to show dedication to the sport if she wanted to make varsity next year, which she totally did. If she made tennis then she was a shoe-in to break the current record for most varsity sports in a year by a student at Horace Mantis. Glancing at the clock on her wall, she figured she could hit a few tennis balls before it got too hot.

"What do you mean I can't practice?" Macy asked incredulously. "During the season I come over twice a week and hit balls."

The tennis pro shrugged, "Sorry Macy, but it's summer. We've got tennis camps and leagues going. If you want to get a court, you'll need to find someone to play with you and put your name on a waiting list over there."

Macy gritted her teeth and took several deep breaths. Tennis was supposed to cheer her up and distract her from the fact that she was alone and friendless for the summer, not make her feel like an even bigger looser. "But Mitch, I don't have anyone to play with and Coach told me to work on my game this summer. How can I do that if you won't give me a court?"

"You're a good player. I'm sure you won't have any trouble finding someone to play with you."

"I'll totally play with her," a slightly smarmy voice said from behind her. "She's hot."

Macy couldn't even see the guy, and she could tell from the tone of his voice that he was checking out her ass. Just when she thought her day couldn't get any worse, some Neanderthal had to come along and prove her wrong. What kind of guy said something like that? Narrowing her eyes, Macy whipped around, ready to tell the sleaze ball in question exactly what she thought of his suggestive tone and idiotic comment, but she froze when she saw who it was.

Van Dyke Tosh?

She wasn't sure which one of them was more surprised. From the shocked look on his face, he obviously hadn't realized it was her.

"Girl-dude?" He stammered out, his face turning a bright shade of pink. She couldn't prove it, but she suspected from his slightly panicked look that he was thinking of the time she flipped the football team's defensive back during a self-defense demonstration.

"Tosh," she answered icily.

Mitch smirked as he asked, "You two know each other."

"We go to the same school," Van Dyke replied. "She's a little scary," he added in a bad stage whisper.

"I struck him out eleven times in one game," Macy added.

"Perfect!" Mitch said. "Then you obviously need a rematch."

"It was baseball, not tennis," Macy pointed out. "Plus he just hit on me and insulted me in less than a minute." The last thing she wanted to do was spend her afternoon playing tennis with her airheaded, sexist schoolmate.

"But the guy could obviously use a chance to reclaim his masculinity or dignity or something," the tennis pro said quickly, handing Macy her racket. "Or maybe you could teach him some manners. Either way, he solves your problem. Now you have someone to place with. Why don't you take that court right over there." He point off into the distance before turning and hurrying away.

"I think he was trying to get rid of me," Macy said suspiciously.

"I think he just called me a girl," Van Dyke added, sounding offended.

"Whatever," she said grumpily. "Let's just go play and get this over with."

"Geez," Van Dyke said, holding up his hands defensively. "You don't have to sound so excited. If you don't want to play with me, just say so."

She felt a tiny bit guilty about being so grumpy with him; it wasn't his fault she was having a bad day. Sure he was dumb as a board and was a bit of a player, but she supposed he wasn't actually a bad guy. He had even paid for her meat after Joe and Stella's sword fight during the infamous double date.

"Sorry," she muttered. "I'm just having a bad day."

"What's wrong?"

She should have just brushed off his question; she barely knew the guy, and he had never seemed to be particularly good at listening to people. But she desperately wanted to complain to someone, and he was there so she said bitterly, "My friends all left to do fun, exciting things this summer, and I'm stuck here."

"That sucks."

She blinked in surprise. He sounded like he meant it. "It really does," she replied.

He looked down at her intently. "Well, how about we head over to the court. I'm not that good, so maybe demolishing me at another sport will make you feel better."

Macy cracked a smile. "That does sound good," she admitted. Grabbing her bag, she started over towards the far court. As Van Dyke fell into step next to her, she glanced over at him. "It's Macy."

"Huh?"

"My name. It's not girl-dude – it's Macy."

"Oh," he said, obviously catching on to her point. "Macy. Got it."

"And you should probably not walk up to random girls and announce they're hot. It's sort of offensive."

"Really?" Macy rolled her eyes at the genuine surprise in his voice. "I thought girls dug that sort of thing."

"Not so much."

"Good to know," he replied, and she had to bit her lip to keep from laughing; he actually did sound thankful for the advice. "That would probably explain why that senior slapped me last week when I told her she was a sweet piece of eye candy."

"Probably."

As they arrived at the court, Van Dyke looked over at her, "You know, I'm playing in a summer softball league. We could use a good pitcher if you're interested."

Macy's eyes went wide. "Really?"

"If you have some free time," he said. "It would be nice to have your arm working for me instead of against me. You have the meanest fastball ever!"

Macy smiled at him. He may be a total idiot, but he could be sort of sweet. "That sounds great," she replied.

Maybe the summer wouldn't be so bad after all.


	2. Game

_Disclaimer: Don't own JONAS._

_A/N: Apparently I forgot to mark complete, so I wrote a short second part. In a hurry. Hopefully no glaring typos._

Van Dyke sat on the hard metal bleachers staring at the girl down below on the softball diamond, who was currently smiling and talking to some other guy. He knew he liked her – she was smart and fun and awesome at softball (but not scary awesome like Macy) and looked hot in her softball pants, but he didn't know what to do about it. Thanks to Macy he knew his old way of flirting with a girl was offensive and creepy, but he had no back-up plan. Apparently he was stuck moping pathetically watching some other guy flirt with the girl he liked.

Which sucked. A lot.

"Hey, Tosh," he heard a voice call. "We're going to grab some pizza. You coming?"

He knew he should smile and say something back, but he didn't feel like it. Instead he just sort of shrugged, keeping his eyes on Sarah, who was now walking to her car with the team's third baseman. Moments later he heard the echo of cleats on metal and then Macy was sitting next to him.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he answered without looking over at her.

"You're a teenage boy who just shrugged when offered food; something's wrong," Macy insisted.

He sat quietly for a moment thinking about his problem before blurting out, "I've got no game."

He turned and looked at her in time to see Macy blink in surprise. "I think you're being a little hard on yourself," she replied. "I mean, sure the error in the third inning was unfortunate, but your fielding was solid the rest of the game. And you hit above your season average."

He briefly wondered how she knew that before correcting her. "Not softball. Girls," he muttered dejectedly.

Macy giggled before placing a hand on his arm and saying, "Oh, Tosh, you've never had game with girls."

"Gee, thanks, Misa," he said sarcastically. "Way to make me feel better."

"It should totally make you feel better," she insisted. "Before you were a disaster with girls, but you thought you knew what you were doing. Now you know you're a disaster. What's that they always say? The first step is admitting you have a problem?" He glared at her, not amused by her comments. "Look, stop being a grumpy-pants. I'll help you, okay?"

He perked up a little at her offer. "Really?"

Nodding, she said, "Really. It's Sarah, right?"

He groaned, putting his face in his hands. "Am I that obvious?"

"Subtlety's not your thing," Macy confirmed. "You've been sitting her staring at her for ten minutes, which was pretty much a dead give-away."

"Great," he muttered.

"On the plus side, she was so busy flirting with Miller, I'm fairly sure she didn't notice."

He glared at her once again. "You suck at cheering people up, Misa."

"But I'm a great coach, so get in the car. I'll give you some tips on the way to the pizza parlor. Sarah's cool, and Miller's a total sleaze. You're getting the girl if I have anything to do about it."

His eyes opened wide in surprise. "But… I thought you thought I was a sleaze too"

She smiled over at him and patted his arm once again. "You were a sleaze," she corrected. "But you've changed, which is why we're friends now."

As she got up and headed down the bleachers, he stared at her retreating form, somehow feeling much better.

Friends, huh? He liked the sound of that. If he could be friends with a girl, maybe there was hope for him after all.

Smiling, he called out, "Hey, wait for me, Misa."


	3. Point

_Disclaimer: I do not own JONAS._

_A/N: Another super short chapter, but I wanted to keep alternating points of view and the next part needs to be Van Dyke. _

As they climbed into Macy's car, she looked over at Van Dyke and realized that she was actually sort of proud of him. Sure, he looked extraordinarily pathetic sitting on the bleachers mooning over Sarah, but at least he had realized his past mistakes and wanted to try something new. It was sort of sweet.

And he was totally getting the girl if she had anything to do about it.

"So," she said, as soon as the two had their seatbelts buckled, "when we get there, you should open the door for me. And probably pull out my chair too, but not in an obvious, dorky way. Just be polite."

"Why?" He asked, clearly confused. "I'm not trying to get a date with you."

Macy rolled her eyes – it was shocking how stupid boys could be. "Miller has already taken the blatant flirting route. If you walk in and hit on her, even in a non-creepy way, it will just turn into a competition. And to be honest, he has way more experience than you, and you'll lose. But, if you're polite and a gentleman to all the girls there, then you'll set yourself apart. I know Sarah; it will definitely catch her attention."

"Oh," he said, sounding like he sort of understood her point. "So should I stand when a girl leaves the table?" He smiled at her before adding, "I saw that in a movie my mom made me watch once."

"No," Macy said dryly, "you can stay in your seat. We're in high school not a Jane Austen novel. Just try and listen to what she is saying and at least pretend to be interested. Ask questions and don't talk about yourself the entire time. Guys always do that, and it's annoying."

As she continued speaking, she noticed that he started to look a little panicked. "There's no way I'm going to remember all this," he said with a trace of hysteria in his voice. "You should just drop me off at home now and save me the humiliation. It's going to be Stella and El Meat all over again."

"Shut up, Tosh. I'm going to be right there next to you, and I won't let you do anything too stupid. If all else fails, just remember to stop talking if I kick you in the shins."

He took a deep breath and muttered, "I can do that."

"Excellent," she said with a grin. "Look, we're here."

Without waiting to give him time to back out, she threw her car into park, grabbed her purse and got out of the car. Walking around to the passenger side, she pulled open his door and said, "Just so you know, if you chicken out now, I'll never let you live it down."

She heard him sigh and then he climbed out of her car and stood next to her.

"Anyone ever tell you, you're a pain, Misa?" He asked with a hint of a whine to his voice.

"Anyone ever tell you, you're a pansy, Tosh?" She retorted.

"Fair enough," he said with a chuckle. "Let's go get some pizza."

Macy slowed down as they neared the front door to give him time to reach the handle before her. He winked at her as he held the door for her to go through first. When they reached the table there was one open seat next to Sarah and two across from her. For a moment, Macy was sure he was going to blow it and take the seat next to the pretty redhead, which would be a disaster. Miller would be sure to monopolize her attention the entire time, and Van Dyke would spend the evening looking at the back of Sarah's head. But he only hesitated a moment before pulling out the chair across from Miller and smiling at Macy.

"Thank Tosh," Macy said casually as she sat down. She had to keep from smirking when she saw Sarah glance at Van Dyke with a surprised look on her face.

"Nice double in the seventh, Van Dyke," Sarah said as soon as the blonde had taken his seat.

Macy held her breath. Here was his first real test - the old Van Dyke would have made some cheesy, self-centered comment that would make everyone uncomfortable.

"Thanks. But it wasn't nearly as impressive as your save in the next inning."

Macy positively beamed with pleasure. Miller was totally going down!


	4. Match

_Disclaimer: Still do not own JONAS._

_A/N: And so this story limps forward. I wanted to write something tonight so I posted halfway between Poet on the Run and crazinessgirl3's graduations. And an NPR segment on the World Cup inspired this. Hopefully the Wikipedia article and translation site were accurate – if not I apologize._

_Dedication: Congratulations Beth and Kristin!_

Turns out Macy's advice had been dead on; all he had to do was waive down a waiter when any of the girls' drinks were low and ask a few questions, and he had Sarah's undivided attention. The problem was that the more he got to know her, the more he realized that except for the fact that they played softball on the same team and went to the same school, they had nothing in common.

And she was really, really boring.

It had never occurred to him that he could be bored while a pretty girl was paying attention to him, but it was actually happening. She was rambling on about those stupid _Twilight _books, and it was all he could do to keep his eyes from glazing over.

It didn't help that Macy and their right fielder were currently discussing the World Cup. What no one knew about him was that he was a closeted soccer fan. It had happened by accident – he had seen Futbol listed in the paper and had just thought it was a typo. Turned out it was a Spanish station that was playing a soccer game, and by the time he had figured out that the NFL wasn't going to be coming on, he was hooked. It was fast-paced and the fans were crazy. He even had a Real Madrid poster up in his room at home.

Sparkly vampire or international sporting event? Like that was even a real choice – no girl was that hot. But he was afraid Macy would be disappointed in him if he bailed on his conversation with Sarah at this point, so he tried to hide a yawn as the girl across from him continued to compare the second movie to the book.

"Oh!" He heard Macy exclaim. "I left my phone in the car, and I promised I'd call my mom. I'll be right back."

As he watched the petite brunette pop up out of her seat, he saw a chance to escape the pop culture hell he was currently stuck in. "Wait," he said quickly. "It's dark; I'll walk you to your car."

Macy raised her eyebrow at him, but he was grateful that she didn't tell him not to come with her. As soon as they were out of hearing range of the table, she said with amusement, "You do know I'm a brown belt in Judo, right?"

"I didn't actually," he said, impressed by this new insight into Macy. "So I guess that means that if anyone attacks, you can protect me, huh?"

"Pretty much," she replied with a smirk. "But it was very gallant of you to offer. I'm sure the girls were all suitably impressed."

He rolled his eyes, "I wasn't trying to impress anyone; I was trying to escape."

Macy stopped and looked confused. "What do you mean? You were doing so well. I'm pretty sure that Miller is ready to waive the white flag and admit defeat."

"He's welcome to her," he mumbled, almost embarrassed to admit that he had lost interest in the girl so quickly; Macy was going to think he was a total flake.

"What's wrong?" She asked, taking a step towards him and putting a hand on his arm. His eyes went wide as he felt her warm skin on his. He blinked a few times to try and focus on what Macy was asking him instead of the fact that she was close enough that he could smell her vanilla shampoo.

He really, really liked vanilla.

"We just have nothing in common," he answered. "She hates football, doesn't eat meat and all she can talk about are those stupid vampire books."

"That bad, huh?" Macy asked sympathetically.

He nodded before blurting out, "All I want to do is talk to you about the World Cup. Do I have to go back in there and listen to her anymore?"

His body flooded with relief as she smiled up at him and said, "Of course not! Let's go get my phone and then you can help me explain to Olsen why the US is totally going to make it to the next round."

He couldn't help but grin down at her as he replied, "Just so you know, I'm rooting for Spain."

She narrowed her eyes and replied playfully, "I'm going to pretend like you didn't say that Tosh because I wouldn't want to have to hurt you."

As they continued to walk towards her car, he threw an arm around her shoulder and said, "Bring it on Misa." Then with a grin, he added, "Vaya, Espana!"

"I could take you down in under thirty seconds, Tosh," she replied casually. "But we need you for the game tomorrow night, so I'm going to let you stay upright." She looked up at him with a smirk, and he noticed for the first time that she had really pretty eyes. "But don't press your luck. You so start humming the Spanish anthem, and I will show no mercy."

He was pretty sure Macy Misa was the coolest girl he had ever met.

And he might, just possibly, have a new crush.


	5. Victory

_Disclaimer: Don't own JONAS._

_A/N: NPR provides lots of useful information. And here is another very short chapter. Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter; I think that there is one more to go._

Macy was having a wonderful time. She was shocked at how much Van Dyke actually knew about soccer, and she was so excited that he had invited her to watch the tournament on his giant plasma TV the next day. Her mom was not a big television person, so they had a tiny one in the family room that made it really difficult to catch the action.

Plus, she was more than a little happy that he had preferred her company to Sarah's. She hadn't been lying earlier; she did think that Sarah was a nice person. It was just that while Macy threw a mean curve ball and had a much better batting average, most guys preferred the girlier, gigglier Sarah; it was nice to be noticed for once.

As she leaned forward to explain the terms gaffer, brace and pitch to Miller, she was vaguely aware that Van Dyke had draped his arm across the back of her chair while he talked to Olson about Scandinavian soccer clubs. She hesitated a moment before leaning back, knowing that when she did, she would be leaning against him. But it was her chair after all (plus she had enjoyed being snuggled up next to him earlier when he put his arm around her in the parking lot), so she settled back into her seat.

And tried not to grin when he lost his train of thought as she touched him.

She noted that he smelled nice – like a guy, dirt and grass and sweat with a hint of cologne. She knew that some girls would be grossed out by the combination, but it reminded her of happy things like playing sports and being outside. With a small shake of her head, she relaxed against him and corrected his pronunciation of one of the Brazilian player's names.

She liked the fact that he didn't get upset when she knew more than he did.

When the check arrived, she reached for her purse to cover her share, but he placed his hand on her arm and said, "Don't worry about it Mace. I've got you."

As she smiled and thanked him, it hit her that this seemed a lot like a date.

And she began to panic.

Did she want to date Van Dyke Tosh? It was one thing to be friends with him, but snuggling up next to him and letting him buy her dinner was something else entirely. And she had just let it happen without even thinking about it. And did she actually like him or did she just like having the attention from an attractive guy? Was she being a tease? Cause she hated girls like that!

When he asked her if she could give him a ride home, she nodded absent-mindedly and muttered, "Sure." Then she bit her lip at the look of hurt that flashed across his face at her less than enthusiastic response.

Rallying, she added, "I'm your ride, aren't I?"

She smiled automatically when he held open the door for her, pleased that he seemed to be taking her advice to heart even though he wasn't trying to impress Sarah any longer. And then the guilt hit her even harder when she realized that he was probably trying to impress her now. Macy moved along, unaware of her surroundings as she tried to sort out her feelings. Did she like Van Dyke or had she inadvertently been leading him on all night? Cause it was pretty obvious from his actions that he had decided that he liked her, and she could see from her behavior that evening why he might think that the feelings were mutual.

"Are you okay, Macy? Is something wrong?" His voice was full of concern, and he looked so sweet and confused standing there in the moonlight looking down at her, worry in his eyes. "Did I do something wrong?"

Her heart sped up a little at the sight, and suddenly she felt much better. She did like him. He was cute and sweet and fun, and while it wasn't at her JONAS obsession level or anything, she did genuinely like him. She almost wanted to laugh in relief.

Smiling up at him, she said, "Everything's great. I promise."

And then she stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. The moonlight was bright enough that she could see the blush spread across his face. He grinned at her and hesitantly took her hand as they walked the rest of the way across the parking lot to her car.


	6. Interview

_Disclaimer: I do not own JONAS._

_A/N: I had planned this chapter because a lot of reviewers wanted to see what would happen when Macy's friends found out about her being friends (or more) with Van Dyke. I had already come up with the main analogy, when one of my friends announced that her dog had eaten a pair of Louis Vuitton sandals. Not that it has anything to do with the story, but I was amused by the parallel between the story and real life. Hopefully you won't be too annoyed with Macy._

_Dedication: The story was for Beth, but the chapter is for Hayley because she has been so enthusiastic about my weird pairing._

It had been awhile since Macy had talked with Stella on the phone; her friend's internship was incredibly intense, and the stylist tended to collapse into bed at the end of the day. So Macy was excited when her best friend finally had a free moment during the day and called her.

"So tell me what you've been up to," Stella insisted after she had finished telling Macy all about her internship. "Anything exciting happening?"

Macy hesitated for a moment before saying, "Nope. Nothing to report here."

It wasn't that she was ashamed to be dating Van Dyke; she really, really liked him – it just seemed weird to talk about it with her friend since he had asked Stella out before. Plus, he was so different from the Van Dyke Tosh her friend knew, which seemed sort of complicated to explain. She knew that Stella would think of the clueless, obnoxious guy from school, and that wasn't who her Van Dyke was anymore.

"I know that voice, Macy Misa," Stella said sternly. "You're hiding something from me. Now spill!"

Macy sighed. She should have known that she wouldn't be able to get anything past Stella – the girl knew her way too well.

"I might, possibly be dating someone," Macy admitted sheepishly.

"What does that mean?"

"Okay, I am dating someone."

She pulled the phone away as Stella's shriek of happiness threatened to damage her hearing for the rest of her life.

"Who is it? I want details!" The blonde said excitedly.

"I don't want to tell you," Macy whined. "Cause you're going to laugh."

"Why would I laugh?" Stella asked, sounding confused. "…Unless it's someone I know. That's it, right? You're dating someone I know! You have to tell me, Mace."

"Yes it's someone you know. And no, I don't have to tell you."

"How would you feel if I told you I was dating someone you knew but wouldn't tell you who?"

"It'd be Joe," Macy deadpanned.

"First off, Joe and I are just friends," Stella insisted. "And second, what if it wasn't."

"Even if it wasn't Joe, it would still be all about Joe," Macy pointed out.

"Whatever, Macy," Stella said sounding annoyed. "Just tell me."

Macy knew that Stella would not hang up the phone until she had the full story, so she tried to think of a way to make her best friend understand. After a moment, she remembered Stella's dog. "Remember when you first got Pierre? And he was crazy and chewed everything in sight?"

"Don't remind me," Stella groaned. "Do you remember what happened to my brand new Prada sandals?"

"Of course. I think you wore black for a week straight in mourning," Macy said, smiling at the memory of Joe trying to console Stella over the loss of her new shoes. "And then you sent him to doggie boot camp, and he came back super well behaved and Prada-safe."

"Which is a great walk down memory lane, but I'm not sure what that has to do with your new boyfriend."

"Well, let's just say he's changed this summer, but you remember the pre-doggie boot camp guy, so you're going to laugh."

Stella giggled, "I can't believe you just compared your boyfriend to a trained puppy!" All of a sudden Macy heard her friend gasp. "It's Van Dyke Tosh isn't it? You're dating Van Dyke!"

Macy blinked in surprise. Apparently her analogy had been better than she had thought. "Yes," she admitted.

"But Macy," Stella said. "I know he's gorgeous, but he was so… so…"

"I know," Macy interrupted before Stella could insult her boyfriend. "He totally was. But I swear he's changed. He holds the door open for me and he's stopped talking about himself all the time and …" she struggled to explain her boyfriend, "he's totally sweet now."

"What happened?" Stella asked seriously.

"I told him he was annoying and creepy, and he asked what he needed to do to change," Macy replied simply.

"And he listened?" Stella asked with a hint of awe in her voice.

"Yup." Macy couldn't help the smile that spread across her face as she thought about the amazing guy she was lucky enough to be dating.

"That's so unfair," Stella whined. "I've been working on Joe for years with no results, and you manage to train Van Dyke of all people in a few weeks?"

"I think the key is that he wanted to change," Macy observed. "While Joe is pretty sure he's perfect just as he is."

Stella snorted. "That's true." After a moment, she added seriously, "Are you happy, Macy?"

"I really am, Stella."

"Then no laughing. I'm happy for you! And I can't wait to meet the new and improved Van Dyke Tosh, boyfriend of Macy Misa."

Macy smiled. She should have trusted that her best friend would be excited for her, no matter what.

"Hey, Macy?"

"What Stells?"

"I always wondered," her best friend said with a smirk evident in her voice, "if Van Dyke was a good kisser."

Macy blushed and exclaimed, "Stella!"

"Oh, come on. Spill!"

Rolling her eyes, she replied, "Let's just say there was no training needed in that department."


End file.
